Is 'Party Unity' a thing of the past for Dems?

[Stinky The Clown]

I ain't throwin' nuttin' at nobody, okay?

I've not posted much over the last few days, but I'm seeing all sorts of threads (which I will not point out cuz they're not mine and its against DU rules) that are incredibly 'either/or' in their tone or are dismissive of one part of the party or another.

The Democrats are long famous for disunity. Usually, it is for very valid reasons. And some of the threads of late are exactly from that mold. Mostly, its beacuse Democrats believe in ideas and ideals. And no party as large as ours can or should be cohesive on *everything*. Intellectual honesty simply precludes that possibility.

But come on, people. There's a race on. Actually, there are hundreds of races on. In virtually every one of them there is one Democrat and one Republican. In some there are one or several third party types running as well.

Is it too damned much to ask for a little broad party unity in a campaign season? I for one am damned sick and tired of being on the outside looking in. Not since forever have we had so good a chance to take back the House. And of late, even the Senate seems within reach. That says nothing about those many critically important 'farm team' races for local office.

I should think that at this time, and for the next several weeks, there shoudl be nothing but cheerleading here on DU and elsewhere where the party faithful gather. Now is the time to leave your pet peeve unpeeved. The candidates are chosen. they need help, they need money, they need volunteers, they need support, they need - dare I say it? - some party unity.

November 8 is the date. Mark your calanders. That's the date we can go back to standing in circles shooting each other.

Just look at the rancor on all sides of the 'debate' over Hugo Chavez' UN speech. Did you notice the lack of noise from the Republican side? They didn't need to say jack shit. We were standing in line to piss on this one and slap down that one and cheer the other one. Okay, you didn't agree with this one or you did agree with that one.

Party unity ..... in campaign season against a **MACHINE** its important. Against a lying, cheating, vote fixing, election stealing machine it is even MORE important.

I know its all too often a joke, but how about a few choruses of Kumbaya?

We gotta do this, people. We GOTTA do this.

[noahmijo]

1. It's both a curse and a blessing for us the unity factor

the blessing that we a group that can be different agree, disagree what have you the point is we don't have a pack mentality which makes us far more independent, open and intelligent than the repukes.

Problem is though they all gather up in lockstep like sheep which is what counts when it comes to election day while we're still squabbling over petty differences.

My pal gave the best example of this long ago when he said "Republicans win because they organize in a way that we never will...every Sunday in church. They actually gather at least once a week. When's the last time Democrats ever gathered en masse like that?"

[MadMaddie]

2. I am in agreement with you Husb2Sparkly

Kumbaya would be a good thing if we could get everyone to agree on the key it would be sung in...

Seriously....I am sick of when the Dems do come out to talk about stupid ass shit...There was no reason for Pelosi to come out and talk about Chavez....He was at the UN which is not considered part of the US...

Remember, Remember, the 7th of November!! Get out and vote folks!!:dem:
It's the patriotic thing to do so we can save our country!

[The Magistrate]

3. You Are Quite Right, Sir

You will understand it goes mightily against my grain to cite Reagan, but his Eleventh Commandment, suitably re-phrased to "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Democrat," ought to be our watchword.

The plaintive cries of "Well, we don't march in lock-step like Republicans" are simply seeking to dress solid vice in gossamers of virtue: cohesive, disciplined bodies win conflicts; fractured, quarrelsome bodies lose conflicts.

"Can't nobody here play this game."

[nevergiveup]

4. I totally agree

It has been a little sickening lately and I haven't been here as much. There was a terrible anti-Christian thread the other nite and many lock-step cheerleaders responding. Someone posts about Obama and the Obama vultures come out. I am not a Hillary fan but some of the responses toward her are totally nasty and nonproductive. Chavez is not running for any office in these united states and the focus on his day to day rants wastes valueable energy that should be focused on Nov.7th. I find much of it very discouraging

[TygrBright]

5. I don't RECALL Democrats being "unified" in the past...

...for as long as I can remember (and I go back to... well, let's just say "before Kennedy" and leave it at that...) there hasn't been anything resembling "unity" among Democrats.

That's sorta one of the things that makes us Democrats.

It's why our Party does well in times when people feel courageous, independent, possessed of the security of their own convictions, and unthreatened by differences. And why our Party does poorly when people feel weak, threatened, needing to conform and so insecure in their own beliefs that they simply cannot bear dissent.

reflectively,
Bright

[pnwmom]

6. Maybe, but we've never needed to be unified as much as we do now. n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Apparantly the Republics know this, too.

And they keep making the country cower and have fear.

We need to reflect on that and stop, at least for the next few weeks, being like a herd of cats.

[pnwmom]

7. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

[bowens43]

8. You don't understand Democrats.

The lack of unity, the lack of marching lockstep is one reason I'm a a Democrat.

[Jack Rabbit]

9. It wasn't very oftern a thing for the Democrats at all

I am not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat. -- Will Rogers (1879-1935)

[bklyncowgirl]

10. I belong to no organized political party--I'm a Democrat

That was Will Rogers back in the 1930s. Things haven't changed that much in 80 years or so.

[LWolf]

12. I don't know.

I don't know if "party unity" is a dem thing, or not.

It's not my thing. That doesn't mean I'm opposing the party, it just means that I'm not a regular member of ANY group, including political party. It's part of who I am, and I don't want to change it.

That means that I will continue to vote for issues, and supporters of issues. Issues will always trump party unity, because for me, the only purpose of a party is to move issues forward. So when the party is doing that, I'm with them. When they are not, I'm asking "where are you, and why aren't you stepping up to the plate here?" Party is only relevant when they are focused on issues of relevance.

That's me. :shrug:

Disclaimer:

This is not a commentary on the current state of the Democratic, or any, Party, but simply my take on the concept of Party unity, for any party at any time.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. Well you know .......

..... its tough to get anything done when you decide to be a lone wolf.

I'm not saying your approach or philosophy is worng. I'm saying that at some point we have to choose between winning and stading on principle. To me it seems logical that I need to get a **way** to get things done before I can actually **get** things done.

The Republics know this and they work very hard on not only party unity, but also party discipline. And just because they do it doesn't mean its wrong.

[LWolf]

14. I hear you.

I just don't know how to be anything but myself, and I prosper and get things done when I'm allowed to be that "me," and find my own way.

Here's the thing: I see both sides of this dilemma. I know that we need to regain some power to get things done. I also know that, when those asking to be put in power aren't actually talking about, and planning, to work on the things I want to get done, it seems so futile. I can work to elect Democrats, but if their priorities are different than mine, I'm still spinning my wheels when they are in office.

I want paper ballots. I want open airwaves, and I don't want a very few megacorporate yahoos to control the messages on those airwaves. I want universal, single-payer-not-for-profit healthcare. I want much of NCLB repealed. I want peace. I want diplomacy. I want sustainable energy, fair elections, and environmental responsibility. I am not finding these things at the top of the list for many incumbents or campaigners. When I vote to elect the "D" to office, and they go about their agenda that doesn't include mine, and/or don't consider it significant, how motivated am I supposed to feel?

I feel ok with saying, "I'm with you when you are going my way. When you are not, I'm not." Not that I expect the whole machine to stop just because one lone wolf wants to travel a different path. You'd think, though, that since that wolf sprang from their pack, and since others are also headed in that direction away from the main, the pack leaders might want to pay some attention to what's around that bend, drawing some of the pack off.

[AtomicKitten]

15. party unity occurs outside DU

I just don't see it happening here.

Can't wait for the primaries. Really. I mean it.